No matter whether you’re planning an elegant, elaborate, or off-beat celebration, you’re sure to want a wedding cake with a style that’s all your own. In 2016, we saw the rise of naked cakes, drip designs, pastels, and black (yes, really). For the 2017 year, we’re expecting to see some totally fresh developments emerge and some classics get a major revamps. If you’re planning nuptials this upcoming year, these five wedding cake trends are sure to inspire.
1. Bold with Silver & Gold
Metallic wedding cakes have become the ultimate sign of luxury. Edible gold and silver leaf are often used, but there are alternatives such as paints, powders, and glosses that provide an all-over sheen. Metallic coatings can create everything from a traditional princess fairy tale look to vintage flair. If you like the idea of going metallic, but aren’t sure you want the whole piece done up, consider doing a single tier or using metallic embellishments, such as sugar crystals and balls.
2. Dainty or Elegant with Lace
Texture is being used in a lot of different ways, but lace is by far the most feminine and elegant. There are two main ways brides are starting to use lace on their wedding cakes. The first takes a minimalist approach, with bits of a pattern across a cake or on a single tier. On these, we may also see handmade embellishments, such as lace flowers and butterflies, cut to match. As a second option, an especially skilled decorator may be able to match the pattern on the china or dress, which really pulls everything together. If you love lace designs, stick with lighter colours for the lace or even go with white on white for added elegance.
3. Fun and Festive with Ombre
There is so much that can be done with ombre and it really makes an impression. As the style first made its way into cakes, we were seeing full blocks of colour or changes from one tier to the next. Now we’re seeing transitions within the same tier, layers of fondant creating an ombre pattern, textured ombre, ombre layers inside the cake, and… well, you get the idea. Any colour works and the wedding cake makes quite a statement without much else added to it.
4. Chic or Charming with Paint
Decorators who have gotten extremely good at ombre have moved onto more challenging designs that look more like Monet’s work than a cake. Some of this is simply referred to as watercolour and involves delicate swirls of colour in the fondant or frosting, while others use the same principle and go bold, resulting in patterns which look more like tie-dye. The most intricate, however, involves treating the fondant just as a canvas, perhaps adding flowers or even a stained glass motif.
5. Delightful with Doughnuts
Really! We’ve seen the natural progression from massive towering cakes down to individual servings. Once mini-cakes were the norm, cupcake towers became popular, and then this was stretched to include eclairs, macaroons and now doughnuts. At times, the doughnuts are arranged into a tower on their own or stacked with other treats to make a cake shape, while others prefer to use them as adornments on a more standard wedding cake. Any way you stack them, they add a touch of fun and whimsy to any display.
Need the Ultimate Wedding Cake for Your 2017 Nuptials?
Bakers and Cakers will be launching soon and we’ll be featuring the work of local artisans, just in time for your late winter or spring ceremony. Register to receive updates and we’ll let you know when the site is ready, so you can find just the right baker for your event. If you’re a baker and want to be listed, shoot us a message today.
Check out our wedding cakes inspiration board to get your creative juices flowing!
